((A/N: For anyone who wondered, Pistol's true powers in the game are Illusion Control and Kinetics. However, I prefer to portray her using the powers I designed her with originally. Kid Rocket's power sets are Invulnerability and Super Strength, while I believe Noelle's are Storm Summoning and Electric Blast, though I may be mistaken. Pistol's name in the game is PistolX, Kid Rocket remains the same, and I can't remember Noelle's game alias. Once again, Ari Taizen and Pistol belong to me, Kid Rocket belongs to her player, and Noelle remains a faithful creation of Raven001's. Anyway, enjoy!))
The four climbed out of the sewer, tugging open the grate and stepping out into the daylight. Ari took a deep, grateful breath; glad to be in fresh air again. Kid ran circles around the group, ever hyper, while Pistol glared moodily and Noelle hovered in the air. They had ended up at the Talos Island gate, after much exploration in the dank sewers.
"Where to now, Ari?" Noelle queried, grinning expectantly.
"I hear Stringa's great for hunting this time of day," Ari suggested, pointing to the nearby ferry that served as transportation between Talos and Stringa Island.
"Sounds great to me!" Kid exclaimed, skidding to a stop. "We can hunt those magic zombies and those puppy things over there, right?"
"Ahh, the Banished Pantheon and the Nightwolves." Ari giggled. "Puppies indeed! They can tear us apart!"
"And they throw these huuuuge rocks!" Noelle waved her arms for effect.
"Can't hurt me, I've got sponge powers!" Kid reminded them, snickering.
"What about the Council?" Pistol monotoned, raising a brow. "They aren't exactly easy prey."
"That's right," Ari murmured, realizing the truth of those words. "They have snipers and some powers too…"
"And those flamethrower guns!" Kid agreed, thinking. "Hmm… We'll try to steer clear of Council; we can go to the forests in he Bog area. They never hang out there."
"Good idea." Pistol looked to the ship. "We'd better get going if we want to catch the ride, you know."
The other three spun around. The ship was indeed beginning to pull away.
"WAAAAIIIIT!" Noelle shrieked, zooming towards the ship in flight without even thinking about it. Ari leaped after her, cursing at the pilot, while Kid easily ran aboard and got there before anyone else. Well, almost- Pistol teleported herself there first.
"I win," Pistol murmured, smirking, while Kid and Noelle glared.
(Stringa Isle)
The four heroines disembarked, clambering onto the long deck leading to the shore of Stringa. Ari grinned- this happened to be one of her favorite areas, despite the water.
"Ready, team?" She asked, glancing back. Kid Rocket and Noelle nodded eagerly, while Pistol shrugged. The kitsune laughed and crouched down, ready to jump ahead. "Then let's go hunting!" The team cheered (minus Pistol of course) and made their way towards the infamous Bog.
The Bog was well known among the heroes of Paragon. It was a forested area, beautifully green and full of trees and meandering rivers. The only downside was the nasty infestation of the Banished Pantheon on the forests' fringes- a group of fanatical death-worshippers. They used zombies, as the Vahzilok did, but theirs were magical, not medical, and hailed from the World War II era, toting rusted guns and bayonets. The Banished Pantheon also contained treacherous shamans, skilled in different forms of elemental magic, and deadly spirits that followed four elements: Pain, Death, Sorrow, and Desire.
As if they weren't enough, the Council also patrolled the Isle, though they were located farther from the forest in large bases. However, their creations, the werewolf-like Warwolves and less potent Nightwolves roamed inside the forest. They were tall, bulky humanoid wolves, with silver, black or brown fur. They had no powers other than their form, but they were devastatingly strong in close combat, making use of their fangs and sharp claws. They could also tear huge chunks of rock out of the ground to hurl at faraway foes.
The Council's main forces were soldiers equipped with assault rifles, machine guns, chain guns, flamethrowers- any firearm you could imagine, they had it. Specially trained snipers perched atop buildings and picked off heroes from a distance, while those skilled in martial arts could combat fiercely in melees. Elite officers also had powers, such as throwing antimatter at their foes or locking them in a gravity field. They were tough opponents, and the four heroines planned to avoid them as much as they could.
Kid had to find pathways to the Bog on the ground, zipping across ramps and catwalks. She was the fastest by velocity, but having to wind around obstacles put her at a disadvantage. Ari leapt across the landscape like a supersized flea, clearing over 200 yards and rising 80 yards per jump. She was the second fastest, and she could clear most buildings in one jump. Noelle had the most versatile travel using flight, and was far safer from random groups of villains while up in the air, but she was also the slowest. Pistol topped them all, however, by simply teleporting short distances on the way to the Bog. She arrived first, and waited for the others to catch up.
Kid Rocket got to the edge of the manmade pathway and stood at the edge overlooking the water. Noelle simply flew over it, but Ari yelped as she fell straight towards the water. She windmilled her arms and managed to grab the rail fencing of the platform, pulling herself back up. Kid laughed as she watched her friend glare at the sea.
"What's the matter Ari, afraid of the water?"
"She can't swim," Noelle announced, hovering a short distance away, over the ocean. Ari snorted as Kid gave her a look.
"The fire-user can't swim. Isn't that a little cliché?" she teased.
"Shut up, Spongy."
"Hey! Ari! You're all glowy!" Noelle exclaimed, pointing at the kitsune and waving her other arm frantically. Ari blinked and looked at herself and sure enough she was indeed glowing a pale blue color.
"What…?"
Kid poked her, and Ari gave her an annoyed look. "Just checking. You could have been one of those weird ghost things." At that moment, Ari vanished in a flash of dark red light.
She reappeared an instant later on the shores of the Bog, blinking as she reoriented herself. Pistol stood next to her, giving her a look.
"What did you just do?"
"I teleported you."
"….Oh."
"What about it?"
"Shouldn't there be… I don't know… consent or something?"
Pistol smirked, shook her head and teleported Kid over as well. The blonde giggled.
"Hey, I coulda swum."
Ari kicked her, Noelle crashed into Pistol as she flew over, apologized profusely, and the team headed into the forest.
((A/N: Will Ari be able to slay her canine cousins? Will Pistol get revenge on Noelle? Will Noelle ever learn to control her powers? Stay tuned for the team's adventure in the forest—next time on "All My Superheros." …Sorry, couldn't resist. Yeah, um, please review. :D ))
